Food fads come and go. Some are good -- hello, Cronut! Some are everlasting -- bacon on everything! And some are just WTF -- flavored infused foams? Why, Ferran Adria, why? The latest craze sweeping across the country falls squarely into the last category. Yes, I mean “bone broth.”

How To Get The Best Seat For Dinner, An Infographic

All of our dining problems were solved today by this handy infographic from designer Alex Cornell. His guide is basically a blueprint to scoring the best seat in any possible dinner party configuration, and we anticipate it will cure relationships, repair the bonds between family members, help choose the next Pope, and bring peace to the Middle East. (Think we’re joking? The State Department knows we’re not.) Okay, at the very least it save you from innumerable sucky dinner party experiences.

Why is choosing the best seat such a big deal?

These 45 seconds [which elapse when choosing a seat] determine how enjoyable your next 2 hours will be. Once the pieces start to fall into place and people take their seats, your choices narrow. People sit, seemingly at random, and if you don’t take the appropriate measures, you’re inevitably stuck at the least interesting end of the table.

A larger version of the infographic can be found below. Commit it to memory to save yourself from the dinner party doldrums forever.